Season by Season
2001 to 2002

Power Shift in the East

ATLANTIC DIVISION

New Jersey Nets (52-30): Miraculous is the only way
to describe the turnaround engineered by the New Jersey Nets in 2001-02.
Sparked by the presence of Jason Kidd, who was named First Team All-NBA
for the fourth consecutive season and finished second in the MVP voting
behind Tim Duncan, the Nets made their first trip to the NBA Finals
in franchise history. New Jersey also won its first Atlantic Division
crown while registering the team’s first 50-win season. The signing
of Todd MacCulloch provided New Jersey with a serviceable center in
an Eastern Conference devoid of talented big people. The draft-day
trade that sent the draft rights to Eddie Griffin to Houston for Richard
Jefferson, Jason Collins and Brandon Armstrong paid dividends as Jefferson
was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie Second Team, while Collins became
a steady front line contributor as the season wore on. Kenyon Martin
showed significant improvement during his second season, while Keith
Van Horn and Kerry Kittles, who returned from a career-threatening
knee injury, were solid throughout.

Boston Celtics (49-33): Pierce and Walker. Sounds
like a perfect blend of scotch, but for the Celtics in 2001-02, it
was a perfect blend of talent and exuberance that vaulted Boston into
the playoffs for the first time since 1995 and brought the team within
two games of a trip to the NBA Finals. Paul Pierce, who finished third
in the NBA in scoring (26.1 ppg), was named to the All-NBA Third Team.
Antoine Walker was one of only four players in the league (Kobe Bryant,
Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett) to average at least 20 points, five
rebounds and five assists. As with any franchise resurgence, there
were other contributing factors. The midseason trade with Phoenix
that netted Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk brought much-needed depth,
while Kenny Anderson, Eric Williams and Tony Battie made significant
contributions.

Orlando Magic (44-38): The good news for the Orlando
Magic in 2001-02 was that Tracy McGrady continued to emerge as one
of the best all-around players in the league, being named to the All-NBA
First Team. The bad news was that Grant Hill was once again a spectator
during McGrady’s magnificent campaign. Hill appeared in only 14 games
before being put on the shelf with the same ankle problems that limited
him to four games in 2000-01. The combination of McGrady (25.6 ppg,
7.9 rpg, 5.3 apg) and Mike Miller (15.2 ppg), along with the league’s
highest scoring bench was enough to vault Orlando into the playoffs,
but the lack of an established inside presence led to a first round-exit
at the hands of the Charlotte Hornets.

Philadelphia 76ers (43-39): The Sixers were never
able to recapture the same magic they had in 2000-01 when they opened
the season with 10 straight victories and advanced to the NBA Finals.
Philadelphia opened the 2001-02 campaign with five consecutive losses
as Allen Iverson recovered from offseason surgery. The team spent
most of the season hovering around the .500 mark and were eliminated
in the first round of the playoffs by Boston. Iverson did lead the
NBA scoring (31.4 ppg) for the third time in four seasons, but managed
to play in only 60 games. Other members of the team’s core missed
significant action—Aaron McKie (34 games), Eric Snow (21) and Derrick
Coleman (24).

Washington Wizards (37-45): Through the first 52
games of Michael Jordan’s second comeback, the Wizards were 27-25
and had their sights set on a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Jordan then succumbed to knee trouble, appearing in only eight games
after February 24 as the Wizards went 10-20 over their last 30 games
to miss the playoffs in Doug Collins’ first season as coach. When
healthy, Jordan proved he could still play at a high level, though
not nearly as high as he once soared. For a while, his supporting
cast, led by Richard Hamilton (20.0 ppg), exceeded expectations, but
injuries to Jordan, Hamilton, Christian Laettner, Brendan Haywood
and Hubert Davis, as well as the slower than expected development
of 19-year-old rookie Kwame Brown, put an end to the team’s playoff
hopes.

Miami Heat (36-46): The return of Alonzo Mourning,
though inspirational, wasn’t enough for the Heat to overcome an abysmal
5-23 start, and Pat Riley missed the playoffs for the first time in
his 20-year head coaching career. Mourning did manage to appear in
75 games and was voted to the All-Star team for the seventh time in
his career, after playing in only 13 games in 2000-01 due to a kidney
ailment. Eddie Jones paced the Heat in scoring (18.3 ppg), followed
by Mourning (15.7 ppg). Injuries to Kendall Gill, LaPhonso Ellis,
Jim Jackson and Chris Gatling prevented Miami from establishing chemistry
until it was too late in the season.

New York Knickerbockers (30-52): In the city that
never sleeps, the Knicks went to bed pretty early, missing the playoffs
for the first time since 1987. Don Chaney took over the head coaching
duties from Jeff Van Gundy, who resigned on December 8, when the team
was 10-9. Marcus Camby appeared in only 29 games, forcing the Knicks
to play Kurt Thomas at center for much of the season. But Thomas (13.9
ppg, 9.1 rpg) had the best season of his career. Allan Houston (20.4
ppg) and Latrell Sprewell (19.4 ppg) were not enough to combat the
lack of size and the season ended with the Knicks in search of an
inside presence.

CENTRAL DIVISION

Detroit Pistons (50-32): Three undrafted players
in the starting lineup. A shooting guard who shoots too much. A rookie
head coach. Several castoffs from other teams. Put it all together
and what do you have? The second biggest surprise of the 2001-02 season
outside of New Jersey. The Pistons, who many predicted would be lucky
to win 30 games, ran away with the Central Division and advanced to
the second round of the playoffs, where they were defeated by Boston.
Ben Wallace was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year and Third
Team All-NBA. Corliss Williamson was voted the league’s Sixth Man
of the Year. Rick Carlisle was tabbed NBA Coach of the Year. Zeljko
Rebraca earned All-Rookie Second Team honors. Jerry Stackhouse didn’t
receive any hardware, but his solid and unselfish play was perhaps
the biggest reason why the Pistons were able to turn things around.

Charlotte Hornets (44-38): The season began with
Jamal Mashburn and George Lynch missing significant time with injuries.
Then it was David Wesley’s turn to miss some games, then Elden Campbell.
The Hornets, despite the injuries and persistent talk about pending
relocation, hung tough and advanced to the second round of the playoffs,
losing to the Nets. The biggest reason for the team’s success was
the spectacular play of Baron Davis, who in addition to being named
to the All-Star team, became the team’s unquestioned leader. Jamaal
Magloire and Lee Nailon saw significant playing time and showed vast
improvement. Mashburn returned to the lineup in February, which gave
the team a much-needed spark, but he appeared in only one playoff
game due to a bout with vertigo.

Toronto Raptors (42-40): When Air Canada (Vince
Carter) was grounded late in the regular season, most figured the
Raptors would sink even further from playoff contention, having already
lost 12 of 15 with the services of Carter. Instead, the Raptors ripped
off 14 wins in 18 games to sneak into the playoffs as the seventh
seed, but they were soon bounced by Detroit. It was a frustrating
end to a difficult season for Carter, who battled injuries and criticism
throughout. The season did end on a positive note, with young players
like Morris Peterson (14.0 ppg), Alvin Williams (11.8 ppg, 5.7 apg)
and Keon Clark (11.3 ppg. 7.4 rpg) stepping up.

Indiana Pacers (42-40): The Pacers made strides
last season, advancing to the playoffs for the second straight year
under Isiah Thomas and stretching the Eastern Conference champion
Nets to five games in the opening round, with Game 5 needing two overtimes.
Jalen Rose and Travis Best were traded to Chicago for Ron Artest,
Brad Miller, Ron Mercer and Kevin Ollie, a move that brought a more
defensive-minded approach. Without Rose, Jermaine O’Neal became the
team’s first option and the 23-year old was named the NBA’s Most Improved
Player as well as an All-NBA Third Team selection. Reggie Miller once
again followed a steady regular season with a brilliant playoff performance,
averaging 23.6 points against New Jersey.

Milwaukee Bucks (41-41): No team had a more disappointing
end to their season than Milwaukee, which led the Central Division
for the majority of the regular season before falling into a complete
tailspin and missing the playoffs. Part of the reason was injuries.
Ray Allen, who hadn’t missed a game during his first five NBA seasons,
missed 13 with knee trouble. Glenn Robinson was limited to 66 games,
while Sam Cassell limped his way to 74 appearances, despite an injured
toe. There were some bright spots, most notably the play of Michael
Redd, who averaged 11.4 points off the bench.

Atlanta Hawks (33-49): No team was hit harder by
the injury bug than the Hawks, who lost Theo Ratliff, Toni Kukoc,
Dion Glover, Emanual Davis, Alan Henderson and Chris Crawford for
a significant amount of time with injuries. Ratliff appeared in three
games, his only three in a Hawks uniform since being acquired midway
through the 2000-01 season. Shareef Abdur-Rahim came over from the
Grizzlies and continued to put up solid numbers (21.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg),
making his first appearance in the All-Star Game. Jason Terry averaged
close to 20 points (19.3 ppg) for the second straight season.

Cleveland Cavaliers (29-53): Aside from Andre Miller
doing his best Jason Kidd impersonation, leading the NBA in assists
(10.9 apg) in addition to scoring points (16.5 ppg) and rebounding
(4.7 rpg), there wasn’t much to get excited about in Cleveland. Zydrunas
Ilgauskas did appear in 62 games, but started only 23 as John Lucas
tried to keep his minutes at around 20 per game. Ricky Davis (11.7
ppg) developed into a solid performer off the bench, and Wesley Person
(15.1 ppg) enjoyed his best season in years.

Chicago Bulls (21-61): Though the number of losses
didn’t change much, the overall atmosphere improved in Chicago last
season. Bill Cartwright took over as head coach during the season
and speeded up the process of developing the team’s young talent,
mainly Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry. The team traded away its nucleus
of Ron Artest, Ron Mercer, Brad Miller and Kevin Ollie to Indiana
in exchange for Jalen Rose and Travis Best. In 30 games with the Bulls,
Rose averaged 23.8 ppg.

MIDWEST DIVISION

San Antonio Spurs (58-24): All Tim all the time
would be an apt way to describe last season for the Spurs, who edged
out Dallas to win the Midwest Division, then fell to the Lakers in
the second round of the playoffs. Tim Duncan was named the league’s
MVP, narrowly edging out Jason Kidd, while being selected First Team
All-NBA for the fifth consecutive season. He led the NBA in double-doubles
(67), finished second in rebounding (12.7 bpg), third in blocks (2.5
bpg), fifth in scoring (25.5 ppg) and 10th in field goal percentage
(.508). Surprising help came in the form of 19-year-old French point
guard Tony Parker, who took over the starting job early in the season
and was one of the NBA’s top rookies. David Robinson played the fewest
minutes of his career during a full season and announced the 2002-03
season will be his last.

Dallas Mavericks (57-25): With 57 victories and
a second consecutive trip to the second round of the playoffs, Dallas
concluded the best season record-wise in team history. The Mavericks
were the talk of the town for much of the season with their bold player
moves and their considerable improvement. And a lot of that talk was
in German, as Dirk Nowitzki continued to develop into one of the league’s
best forwards; he was named to the All-NBA Third Team after leading
the Mavericks in scoring and rebounding. Steve Nash joined Nowitzki
on the All-Star team and was named All-NBA Third Team. Michael Finley
averaged better than 20 points for the fifth straight season. A midseason
trade with Denver netted Raef LaFrentz and Nick Van Exel, who added
depth to the lineup.

Minnesota Timberwolves (50-32): From the category
of where have we seen this before comes the Minnesota Timberwolves,
who turned in another solid regular season followed by a first round
exit from the playoffs – for the fifth consecutive season. Kevin Garnett
had a typical KG season, averaging better than 20 points, 10 rebounds
and five assists for the third straight year and was named to the
All-NBA Second Team. Wally Szczerbiak shifted to shooting guard and
had a career year, making his first All-Star Game appearance. An injury
to Terrell Brandon thrust Chauncey Billups into the starting point
guard role. Though Billups played well, the team missed Brandon’s
poise and leadership.

Utah Jazz (44-38): For a while last season, it looked
like Utah was on course to miss the playoffs for the first time in
the John Stockton/Karl Malone era. We should know better. Stockton
and Malone defied Mother Nature again, posting numbers within striking
distance of their career averages. Stockton and Malone led the team
to the eighth seed in the Western Conference, but the Jazz retreated
in the first round for the second straight season. One bright spot
for Utah was the play of rookie Andrei Kirilenko, who the team originally
drafted in 1999. Kirilenko brought an infusion of youth, excitement
and athleticism to an aging roster and was named to the NBA All-Rookie
First Team.

Houston Rockets (28-54): Last season was one giant
headache in Houston, most of all for Steve Francis, who suffered through
migraines for much of the season as the Rockets missed the playoffs
for the third straight year. Francis did make his first All-Star appearance,
while backcourt mate Cuttino Mobley averaged a career-high 21.7 points.
The team lost Maurice Taylor for the entire season, but got solid
contributions on the front line from Kenny Thomas (14.1 ppg) and rookie
Eddie Griffin (8.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg).

Denver Nuggets (27-55): A midseason shakeup in Denver
sent Nick Van Exel, Raef LaFrentz and Avery Johnson to Dallas. This,
coupled with the loss of Antonio McDyess for all but 10 games and
the dismissal of Dan Issel, made for an extremely difficult season
in Denver. The team’s makeover continued in the offseason as General
Manager Kiki Vandeweghe traded McDyess to the Knicks for Marcus Camby
and the draft rights to Nene Hilario. With its own first-round pick,
the team selected Nikoloz Tskitishvili.

Memphis Grizzlies (23-59): The Grizzlies subtracted
Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Mike Bibby from their lineup and added Pau
Gasol and Jason Williams in their place, then won the same amount
of games as the season before. Not bad, considering Michael Dickerson
missed all but four games and Lorenzen Wright appeared in only 43
games. Gasol was named NBA Rookie of the Year and fellow rookie Shane
Battier was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Following the
season, owner Michael Heisley named Jerry West President of Basketball
Operations.

PACIFIC DIVISION

Sacramento Kings (61-21): A spectacular season ended
in heartbreak for the Kings, who led the Lakers 3-2 in the Western
Conference Finals before losing the series in seven games. Sacramento
was seconds away from a commanding 3-1 lead, but watched as Robert
Horry made a clutch three-pointer as time expired in Game 4 to even
the series at 2-2. Chris Webber continued to be an all-around force
(24.5 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 4.8 apg), while sharp-shooting Peja Stojakovic
(21.2 ppg) made his first All-Star appearance. Mike Bibby replaced
Jason Williams at point guard and after a modest regular season, exploded
in the playoffs, averaging 20.3 points. Vlade Divac, Doug Christie,
Bobby Jackson, Hedo Turkoglu and Scot Pollard rounded out a rotation
that led Sacramento to one of its best seasons in franchise history.

Los Angeles Lakers (58-24): The season began with
two new starters (Lindsey Hunter and Samaki Walker), but ended in
similar fashion to the previous two—with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe
Bryant leading the way, and Derek Fisher and Robert Horry making clutch
shots on the way to a third consecutive championship. O’Neal struggled
with nagging injuries for much of the regular season, but rounded
into form for the playoffs and was simply unstoppable in the Finals
against New Jersey. Bryant showed more patience on the court and continued
to develop all areas of his game. Both were named to the All-NBA First
Team. In addition to Fisher and Horry, Rick Fox and Devean George
gave quality minutes at small forward, while Hunter and Walker added
depth.

Portland Trail Blazers (49-33): Maurice Cheeks replaced
Mike Dunleavy as coach and the result was a more harmonious team that
played extremely well over the second half of the season before being
swept by the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs for the second
straight year. Rasheed Wallace amassed fewer technicals on his way
to another productive season (19.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg). Bonzi Wells returned
from a torn ACL to have his best season as a pro, ranking second on
the team in scoring (17.0 ppg). Ruben Patterson, Derek Anderson and
Scottie Pippen shared time at the wing positions, while Dale Davis
did his best to replace Arvydas Sabonis in the middle.

Seattle SuperSonics (45-37): One of the surprising
stories last season was the play of the Sonics, who used a center-by-committee
alongside Gary Payton (22.1 ppg, 9.0 apg) and Rashard Lewis (16.8
ppg) to get back to the playoffs after a one-year hiatus. Jerome James,
Art Long, Vladimir Radmanovic and Predrag Drobnjak took turns at center
while the rest of the team made shots—Seattle led the NBA in team
field goal percentage (.469). Brent Barry (14.4 ppg) and Desmond Mason
(12.4 ppg) brought consistent scoring to complement Payton and Lewis.

Los Angeles Clippers (39-43): This was supposed
to be the year the Clippers put all the pieces together and made the
playoffs. Unfortunately, Seattle and Utah were more consistent down
the stretch, edging Los Angeles for the final two playoff spots. Elton
Brand (18.2 ppg, 11.6 rpg) fit perfectly alongside Michael Olowokandi
(11.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg), who showed vast improvement over the second half
of the season. Quentin Richardson (13.3 ppg) and Darius Miles (9.5
ppg) anchored the second unit. Unfortunately for the Clippers, Lamar
Odom appeared in only 29 games, while Keyon Dooling played in only
14.

Phoenix Suns (36-46): Things didn’t go so well in
Phoenix without Jason Kidd. Scott Skiles was replaced by Frank Johnson.
Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk were traded to Boston. Tom Gugliotta missed
much of the season recovering from injury. Though Stephon Marbury
(20.4 ppg, 8.1 apg) and Shawn Marion (19.1 ppg, 9.9 rpg) performed
well individually, the team struggled. The trade with Boston brought
to the Suns Joe Johnson, who along with draft picks Amare Stoudemire
and Casey Jacobsen, help comprise a young nucleus for the future.

Golden State Warriors (21-61): Though the Warriors
improved their win total by four games from their previous season,
it still only meant tying Chicago for the worst record in the NBA.
There were some bright spots, mainly the development of exciting NBA
All-Rookie First Team selection Jason Richardson, who was named MVP
of the Schick Rookie Challenge at All-Star Weekend, in addition to
winning the Slam Dunk Contest. Larry Hughes started the season at
point guard, but was replaced by second-round pick Gilbert Arenas
(10.9 ppg) late in the season.